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Southern Africa: Bushmen

Mantis steals fi re from OstrichLong, long ago, when the Earth was new, the people did not know about fi re. When the Sun went down

they lived in terrible darkness. They did not even have moonlight, for the Moon had not been created

yet. They had no fi re to cook with.

But Mantis noticed something strange. He noticed that whenever Ostrich was eating, there always

seemed to be a lovely, mouth-watering smell. He wondered why and decided to do some spying.

Mantis was very good at creeping about, and so the next time Ostrich was eating, he crept up ever so

silently and hid behind a bush. What he saw amazed him.

Ostrich had fi re. He put some meat on the fi re and up came the lovely smell. When it was cooked,

Ostrich ate the meat, picked up the fi re, tucked it under his wing and trotted away.

Mantis was determined to have that fi re, but he knew that Ostrich would be equally determined not

to give it to him. Mantis put his mind to thinking of a way to trick Ostrich.

Then, one day, Mantis came across a tree heavy with a fruit he knew to be a favourite of Ostrich. So

Mantis went to Ostrich and told him about the tree and said that he would show him where it was and

that they would both have a feast. Ostrich was delighted.

When they got to the tree Ostrich began to peck at the fruits on the lower branches, but Mantis said

that if he wanted the very best fruit, he needed to reach higher.

So Ostrich stretched up, opening his wings a little to keep balance. Mantis saw the fi re glow, but

Ostrich closed his wings before he could grab it.

Mantis told him to reach higher. Ostrich stretched even more, standing on tiptoe, and opened his

wings again to keep balance.

This time Mantis grabbed the fi re and ran off while Ostrich ate the fruit. He took the fi re to the

people, who were very happy.

They had a huge feast and they sat in the warmth of the fi re glow and cooked their food. They sang

and danced and ate their fi ll. And this is how Mantis brought fi re to the Bushmen.

But poor Ostrich was so ashamed of being tricked and so worried that he would lose what little fi re

he had left, he never opened his wings again. That is why to this day, an ostrich never fl ies.

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JUNE 2008